Best I Ever Had
by SBMFanatic
Summary: I got this from x.monster.x. With permission. It's a Hardy/OC. Is there a such thing as second chances?


_**Now I know I messed up bad  
You were the best I ever had  
I let you down in the worst way  
It hurts me every single day  
I'm dying to let you know**_

_(Jeff's PoV)_

I still remember that night. Nobody has a clue how many times I replay the moment in my head, just to hear her voice. It doesn't matter that she was yelling at me, that I knew right then and there she hated me; I still liked her. As in more than friends. I think I may have even loved her, even though we were fighting. But I never got to tell her.

She went to Vince that night and demanded that she was released. The worst part of that was he actually let her go, releasing her from her contract. It was last year when I had been flipping through stations when I come across TNA, and her face filled the screen. She had been renamed 'Desert Rose', and was one of the Beautiful People.

That was a slap across my face. She was actually in a team with Angelina Love and Velvet Sky... because of what I told her. Sometimes I wish I knew when to keep my mouth shut.

_She hadn't even bothered to knock when she entered the Superstars' locker room. "Jeff, what the fuck?!"_

_Jeff quickly turned to look at the door, spotting her and getting up off Matt. "Uh... hi?"_

_She shook her head, walking over to where Matt was trying to get back to his feet. "Matt, you okay?" Kneeling beside the older Hardy, she turned his head towards her. Already, his right eye was swelling, and there was bruising along his jaw and eye. Blood trickled down his chin from the split in his lip._

"_Yeah, I am. Thanks."_

_Jeff scoffed from his locker. Immediately, she was back to her feet. "And you... why? Why did you do that to him?"_

"_Because." He answered, back still turned to his brother and her._

"_Because why?" she pressed, her hands on her hips._

"_Just because."_

"_So you leave Vince's office with something obviously on your mind, you come here and start beating up your brother? I can't believe you! And you!" She turned, looking at Matt who now sat on a bench. "Why didn't you fight back?!"_

_Matt looked up at her. "I, uh... I don't know. He sort of surprised me."_

"_Are you fucking serious?" She turned back to Jeff. "I can't believe the nerve of you, just thinking you can beat the crap out of Matt like this. What happens if McMahon finds out?"_

_Jeff turned to face her by this time. "The nerve of me... the nerve of me?! How about the nerve of you? You just think everything's going to be fine and dandy. You win the Diva Search, and then get a valet position for the Hardys that wasn't even supposed to come back. You think you're so deserving of this? You ain't no Lita. How hard did you fucking work for this job?!"_

"_Jeff, I think that's enough." Matt said timidly._

"_No, Matt. I think he should get everything out. Anything else, Jeff?" Her arms were crossed, face expressionless. When he shook his head, she gave the faintest of smiles. "Good. Because I'm totally over this. I never asked to be here. The Diva Search was not my idea... you think I'd lower myself to the standards of some of the bitches that try out for these things? I wanted to be discovered fighting, not trying to show off my ass, thank you very much. As for the two of you, I remember being asked if I wanted to join, not me asking to join you guys."_

"_Guys, please-" Matt started, but was cut off._

"_You know what? Why don't you just leave then, if you think you're so much better than the Divas here? I hear TNA accepts all the pathetic excuses for talent. Go there, I'm sure you'd fit in quite well with Angelina Love and Velvet Sky."_

_Her reply was a sarcastic laugh. "Real original, Hardy. In case you forget, you were there before. But I would go there in a heartbeat, if..."_

"_If what?" Jeff asked cockily._

"_Like you give a shit. I'm done with this." She turned, storming to the door and swinging it open._

_Matt stood up quickly. "Where are you going?"_

"_Away from him!" _

Yeah, I'm brilliant. Hearing that door slam... that's when I realized what had just happened. When we went back to the hotel, I immediately went to the room where she should have been staying, only to find Mickie, Melina and Ashley sitting around the room, looking a bit depressed. Melina was the one to tell me that she had packed her bags and was grabbing a flight back to Toronto. The other two avoided looking at me, and I don't blame them. I wouldn't have wanted to look at me either.

_**Now I'm here to say I'm sorry  
And ask for a second chance  
Cause when it all comes down to the end  
I could sure use a friend**_

That was almost two years ago. Two years where I haven't spoken to her, haven't heard news of her; nothing. The last I heard was she was romantically involved with Jay, and even that I heard from Adam. It really sucks, knowing that the girl I can't get out of my head is with one of my closest friends.

It doesn't help that I watch TNA whenever I can. I have several tapes, all of them recordings. Every week, I make sure that there is a blank tape in the VCR, and that it's set to tape the show. And all because I need to see her, need to hear her. But then, there was one show, maybe three weeks ago, when she came out in tears. For all I know, they could have been staged tears, but the puffiness of her eyes, the way her voice trembled when she spoke... it got to me.

So that's why I'm driving out to Universal Studios in Orlando. It's a live taping tonight, and thanks to a few connections, I managed to get front row tickets (even though it's a first come first serve set-up), as well as a backstage pass. I don't care whether or not she is fighting tonight. The rumours will be alive and kicking, leaving her to wonder if I'm really there, so it doesn't matter. Even if she wants to leave, she won't be able to. Remember those connections? They're going to keep her from leaving.

Or at least, I can hope.

_**So many things I would take back  
You were the best I ever had  
I don't blame you for hating me  
I didn't mean to make you leave**_

-

_(Desert Rose's PoV)_

I'm nervous as hell. Jay kept looking at me funny on our way here, smiling like a fool, and he wouldn't tell me why. That's part of why I'm nervous. The hushed whisperings are mostly why ­

I'm nervous. Though they stop whenever I come around, I managed to overhear Sharmell gossiping to Gail.

"Did you hear? There's a guy coming over from the WWE!"

"Really? Who is it this time?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but it's one of the upper level talent. Jay was talking to Kevin and that Rhino guy earlier about it."

Hearing that Jay knew about this, knew about the whispers... I was going to fucking kill him, bring him back to life, and then kill him again. Meanwhile, there goes my mind, trying to figure out who it could be. I stopped following the WWE a few weeks after I left. It was too hard to watch week after week, knowing that I willingly gave it up over some stupid, rainbow haired freak show.

When I had left the room and went to Vince, I was beyond pissed off. Getting into fights has a tendency to do that to me, but I still had a clear thought in my head. As much as I was in love with Jeff, it was crystal clear that he wanted nothing really to do with me. I was even ready to bet that he had been put up to the whole 'Team Xtreme' idea, the peck on my cheek during the Diva search... everything. So I decided that that wasn't the place for me. Vince was more understanding than I was expecting, and had released me from my contract.

"It's a shame that you won't be working with us anymore. You would have gone far here."

Those words had almost broken me. Stupid sentiments and emotions. But somehow, I managed to walk out of the arena with my head held high and without crying. Sure, I shed a few tears, but I never broke right down. I wouldn't let myself, because then it would be me admitting that I would miss the sexy bastard.

Yes, I did just call him sexy. There is no denying it, so why try?

It took me less than twenty minutes to shove everything back into my bag, with the exception of what I had been using as my ring gear. It was Mickie's stuff, and so I had left it neatly folded on my bed, a short note attached to it. It was mostly just 'Thanks for everything; you three are the greatest people I worked with.' I think there was something in there about saying bye and sorry to Matt, but I can't remember clearly.

I never took the time to call Melina, to explain why I left, why the storyline was changing yet again. But from what I had been able to sit and watch of the WWE, Mickie had taken up my spot, telling Melina that it was because of people like her that I had left. The fans seemed to like it... I wasn't fussy on it. Especially when Mickie and Jeff had their first on-screen kiss... I stopped watching. I'm not normally a jealous person, and it takes a lot to get me there. That kiss should have been mine, but I had left in an act of stupidity, and was now jealous.

"I'll never get to kiss those lips." I thought out loud, walking down the hallways of Universal Orlando.

"Whose lips?"

I look up to see Jay standing a few feet ahead of me, his arms crossed. He looks sexy in his tight fitted jeans and black t-shirt with a long sleeved white shirt layered underneath. There was a twinkle in his eyes, that same mischievous smile on his face.

"Kiss whose lips?" he asks again, taking a few steps forward. "You got a certain colourful highflyer on your mind again?"

"Shut up." I mutter, blushing. He knows me too well sometimes. "You've gotten several of your own kisses, might I remind you."

He's smirking again. "Yeah, and a little bit more."

"Bastard." I roll my eyes, trying to down play his comment, even though it has me blushing more than I'd like to admit. "But tell me something: who is coming from the WWE?"

He winks at me, his smile growing. "You'll see."

I don't like the way he said that, or the way he's looking at me. Now that I know that he knows, and that he won't tell me, I'll be freaking out the rest of the night.

"Thanks a lot Christian." I say darkly, walking past him. Now I'm pissed: I only use his ring name when I don't want to deal with him.

"Wait, baby!" He calls to me, running to catch up. "I can't tell you... I swore myself to secrecy. If I tell you, he'll beat me to a bloody pulp, and quite honestly, I'm more afraid of him than you."

"Whatever." I don't care for excuses. I care for answers, and he's giving me the former of the two. "Couples don't keep secrets from each other."

"Real rich. This coming from the woman who can't admit that she's still in love with Jeff."

That hurt. My throat is constricting painfully, and I can feel my breathing staggering. "I'm not-"

"It's okay." He puts an arm around my waist, pulling me close to him. "It's been a very good time with you, but I knew, I knew from the start, that you had your demons to face. I thought maybe I could help you, but I never knew how."

"Jason..."

"Shh. This is just temporary, possibly. But I can't help you if you won't let me. This is something you'll have to figure out on your own."

"I'm sorry." I whisper, tears flowing freely down my cheeks. "I never wanted to do that to you."

"It's okay. Now let's go get ready: you especially."

I nod, wiping away a few tears. I was debuting as a new persona that night, and had to find Roxxi. "Okay. Good luck."

"Thanks. Good luck to you too."

_**You and I were living like a love song  
I feel so bad, I feel so bad that you're gone  
Now I know you're the only one that I want  
I want you back, I want you**_

-

_(Third person PoV)_

She stood in front of Roxxi, smiling and admiring herself in the mirror. "Not bad, actually."

"Definitely, considering your eyes are still red and puffy." Roxxi smiled gently, putting her arms around her friend. "I heard about you and Jay."

"Damn, news travels fast." She laughed, running her fingers through a particularly curly part of her hair. "But whatever. He was right about me. I have a past that I'm not willing to let go of."

"At least you can admit that."

She nodded, adjusting her halter top. "I feel like a damn genie."

Roxxi laughed, helping to put the headpiece on when one of the stage hands appeared out of breath. "Excuse me, Ms Rose?"

Both girls chuckled at hearing the ring name, as they never really heard people call her Desert Rose outside of the ring. "Yes?"

"There's a young man out here, looking to talk to you."

She shot Roxxi a quizzical look, to which the Voodoo Queen just shrugged. "I don't have a clue what's going on."

"What do you want me to do? He says it's important." The stage hand asked, looking nervously between the two.

"I'll come see him." She said with, walking over to the door.

"Wait, just a second Tracy, you're coming undone." Roxxi went over to the girl, tying back up the halter top, knotting it just to be safe. "There, good to go. Luck."

Tracy waved her wrist, the bangle bracelets chiming as they struck each other. "I'll be back before our match."

Roxxi nodded, watching her friend leave before getting herself ready to do a vignette with Angelina Love and Velvet Sky.

-

As soon as she saw who was waiting for her, Tracy wanted to turn tail and run. "Oh my God... what the fuck is he doing here?!"

The stage hand shrugged. "Do you still want to see him?"

"No!" She answered quickly, turning back and walking away. "Tell him I'll meet him later."

She didn't stay around long enough to hear the stage hand's reply as she rounded a corner, leaning against the wall for support. She put a hand to her forehead, trying to calm herself down. '_Two years... two goddamn years, and he chooses now to show up!_'

_**Now I'm here to say I'm sorry  
And ask for a second chance  
Cause when it all comes down to the end  
I could sure use a friend**_

"I like it." The voice brought her out of her silent cursing as she looked up into brown eyes. "You look very mystical."

"Matt!" she cried out, hugging him tightly. "But what...? I thought that... Wow! I can't believe you're here!"

He laughed, hugging her back. "Trust me, I can't believe I'm here either. But somebody has to keep an eye on Jeff."

Hearing the name was enough to make her stomach flutter. "Screw him. I'm just so happy to see you!" She removed her arms from his neck, still beaming at seeing him. "I'm so sorry I never kept in touch, or called to explain. I just-"

He pressed his index and middle fingers against her lips, smiling warmly. "You don't need to explain anything, okay?"

"Thanks Matt. God I missed you."

"So you've said... just not in so many words." Matt stepped back, looking at her costume. "I might need you to change though. You dress a lot more scantily than I remember."

She laughed as she did a little spin, showing off her outfit. "C'mon, it's not that bad."

"I'm not sure. I thought you were with Love and Sky?" He asked, still inspecting her. "When I was talking to Helms, he had said you were working with them."

"And I still am." She smiled, adjusting the arm band on her upper right arm. "I've been kidnapped by ODB, Gail Kim and Roxxi, the angle being that I'm Roxxi's psychic little sister. I'm still Desert Rose, but I've finally 'bloomed'."

Matt nodded. "Okay... you look very glittery and glam though."

"What can I say; I'm a beautiful person." Tracy laughed, shaking her head. "Listen, it's been nice to see you, but I've got to go back and finish getting ready."

He smiled, hugging her again. "So what do I tell Jeff?"

"Tell him nothing. What he doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides, I left a message that I'll see him after." She smiled weakly, wiping a dyed brown strand of hair from her face. Waving, she turned and ran back to the dressing room, leaving Matt to run his fingers through his hair before setting off to join his brother.

-

Jeff watched as 'Desert Rose' executed a diving hurricanrana that she dubbed the 'Thorn Plucker', before pinning Sky. Love, who had been distracted by Gail Kim, quickly slid in the ring, looking to punish Rose for her betrayal. He sat there, eyes glued to Rose as she tried in vain to defend herself.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon." He muttered under his breath, his right leg shaking nervously. Being in the business, he knew that she wasn't actually in serious trouble, but just seeing her so close... It bothered him.

"Why don't you just jump the barrier and drag her away?" Matt joked, watching his brother from the corner of his eye.

_**Now I'm here to say I'm sorry  
And ask for a second chance  
(All I want to do is make it up to you)  
Cause when it all comes down to the end  
You were the best I ever had**_

"You mean, besides the fact she hates me, will yell at me and then kill me? Because I'll get thrown out of the arena before I get to talk to her." He sighed, running his fingers through his red ­

and orange hair. "It's bad enough that I have to wait like another hour after this to go and see her."

"Do you not even want to see Jay or anybody else?" Matt asked, staring at Jeff. "You dragged me all the way to Orlando just for her?!"

"Umm... Maybe." Jeff answered, now fully distracted by the Knockout. "Damn it, why does she have to dress like that?"

"I don't know. She was explaining it to me earlier but I still don't quite understand."

Jeff nodded, momentarily catching Rose's eye as she celebrated her win with her 'big sister'. He couldn't see anything in her eyes; the blue eyes that had always been so bright and vibrant seemed dead. She shook her head at him, before joining Roxxi outside the ring, walking up the ramp backwards with their arms raised.

"Screw the rest of this, I'm going to find her now." Jeff muttered to Matt, getting up in the process.

Matt just nodded. "Good luck with that. "

"You're not coming with me?" Jeff asked, dropping back to his seat. "Why not?"

"Because I paid to watch some wrestling, not you chase Tracy."

"Suit yourself." Jeff shrugged, getting up and making his way to the back. He had flashed his pass at some security, thankful that they had let him back there while the show was still in progress. He stopped when he saw Crystal interviewing Roxxi and Rose, Rose doing much of the talking.

"So, Desert Rose, how does it feel knowing that Roxxi is actually your sister?" Crystal asked.

She sighed, playing with a curl. "How does it feel? How does it feel? How would you feel if you were told that you have an older sister here? I feel horrible knowing some of the hurtful things I did to her." Rose looked at her sister, pouting slightly. "Can you ever forgive me?"

The response to that was in the form of a hug, to which Crystal awed at. "That's so sweet."

"I'm sorry, but I can't do this anymore. I just want to catch up with Roxxi, and it's hard to do that with cameras on you." Rose smiled, her arm still around Roxxi.

"Right, of course." Crystal smiled, watching as they walked away.

As soon as the person running the cameras said that they were off, Jeff broke through them, running after Roxxi and Tracy. "Tracy! Tracy, wait up!"

She stopped dead in her tracks. Roxxi did too, but actually turned so she could see him. "Wow, whose the cute guy with the colorful hair?" she whispered, not taking her eyes off of the guy.

"That would be my past coming back to haunt me." Tracy muttered, not daring to turn around.

Roxxi let out an impressed whistle. "Wish I could have a past like that."

"Actually... no, you don't." Jeff replied as he got near the two women. "Tracy, listen, can I speak to you?"

Roxxi smiled. "I can see this is personal, so I'll just go now."

Tracy watched her leave before turning to face Jeff. "Oh, now you want to speak to me?" she asked bitterly. "I think after two years, it's a bit late for that."

"Better late than never, isn't it? I know some of the things I said to you were wrong and hurtful-"

"Some of them?" She cut him off, crossing her arms. "Try all of it! You were comparing me to Lita! I could fight, but forgive me for not being as awesome as she was. And the TNA suggestion? It hurt, but you were right. I'm doing so much better here. I loved acting like a bit of a slut when I was with Angelina and Sky."

"I'm trying to say I'm sorry! Doesn't that matter?" He asked, gently grabbing her upper arms, looking at her with intense hazel eyes. "I'm here now, trying to make it right between you and me."

"You should have chased after me... You should have called me before now, cared enough to come see me before now." Her voice was wavering, a lump forming in her throat. "You never did Jeff. It just showed that you hated me, who I was. You had me convinced that you were putting on an act, that everything was Matt's idea."

"It's not true." Jeff said weakly.

Tracy pulled out of his grasp, taking a few steps back. "It doesn't feel like that."

He took a few steps forward. "I couldn't bring myself to come see you, to talk to you. I thought you hated me after that argument. Your face, void of expression, the way you yelled at me, what you told me... that's what's been haunting me for the past two years. I just didn't know what to do to make it right."

She smiled weakly. "Leave, right now. Forget about me, the few weeks spent with WWE, the little bit we got to know each other. Make me a figment of your imagination, and stick me in one of the deep, repressed corners of your mind."

Tracy turned and walked away, wiping her eyes as she went to make sure she wasn't crying. She wasn't sure if Jeff had left or not, but knew she couldn't look back. '_I never looked back the first time... why should this time be any different?_'

"What if I told you I can't do that?" he called after her. Still, she continued forward, acting as if she couldn't hear him. "Because I can't do that to you. Tracy... I love you, and locking away your memory would only bring me pain."

She stopped, fighting the urge to run to him, to admit she still felt the same. "Forget me Jeff. A girl like me and a guy like you were never meant to be together."

She ran the rest of the way to the change room. Jeff saw her run, his heart breaking as he understood how badly he must have hurt her.

_**We fell in love for a reason  
Now you're leaving  
And I just want you back  
So many things we believed in  
Now you're leaving and words won't bring you back  
I'll never let go of the heart I broke**_

**-**

Tracy collapsed beside the door of the change room, on her knees with her arms hugging her waist as she let the pain and sorrow wash over her. The tears ran quickly down her cheeks, her breathing ragged as she sobbed uncontrollably, shaking as she did so. As much as we didn't want to be crying like this, she couldn't figure out how to stop.

"Tracy? Tracy are you in there?!"

She couldn't move or reply. The door opened behind her, followed by the sound of a few people's footsteps as they entered. Strong arms picked her up, bringing her over to a couch. They sat down, cradling her on their lap. Through tear blurred eyes, she could make out the sympathetic features of Jay.

"I'm here... I'm here." He whispered softly, which made her sob a bit more, as she clung to him. Burying her face in the crook of his neck, she cried while he whispered soothing things to her, running his fingers through her hair.

After a while, she calmed down enough to look around to see who else was there. Roxxi sat cross-legged on the ground, looking up at her sadly. Kevin Nash stood by the door, smiling at her. Matt had even joined them, and sat with his head in his hands beside Jay and Tracy.

"I'm s-sorry." She managed to get out, wiping at her eyes. "I n-never m-m-meant to cry like that."

Matt looked up at her, revealing his own set of puffy, red eyes. "You're okay?"

She nodded, smiling as best she could at Matt. "Y-yes."

He smiled back at her with a sigh. "Oh thank God. I was afraid that you had been hurt. Jeff took off, and I'm getting a lift to the airport from Jay."

"I'm sorry." Tracy apologized, moving from Jay's lap over to Matt. "He left because of me..."

"So he finally told you?" Jay asked, smiling slightly.

She nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear. Nash gave a bit of a sigh. "That explains a lot, don't it?"

Roxxi looked up at the giant from her place on the floor. "Told her what? What happened?"

"Jeff loves Tracy. He's loved her since before she left the WWE." Matt answered, smiling at Tracy.

Tracy covered her ears, shutting her eyes tight. "Don't tell me that. Don't tell me that." She chanted, rocking slightly.

Matt smirked. "I'm not telling you anything. I'm just telling Roxxi what she needs to know."

Tracy glared at him, while Roxxi looked intrigued. "So, he loves her, and he was here to get her back from Jay?"

"Not exactly." Jay smiled, looking at Tracy. "There was no competition over her. When he asked me to set him up with some front row tickets, I was all for it."

Roxxi raised an eyebrow. "So you knew that he liked her?"

"Yep." He smiled, leaning back in the couch. "I was actually hoping that I could help her realize that she needs him in her life."

Tracy swiftly smacked Jay's arm. "You knew about this? You... you broke up with me because he was coming..."

"Actually... I wanted to for a few weeks. When we got into that fight a few weeks back before you went out... I choked on what I wanted to tell you and ended up hurting you instead." Jay explained gently, taking one of Tracy's hands in his. "I just never knew how to end it. But when Jeff called... It was a sign."

She nodded, her mind a million miles away. "But I missed it... he's gone. He won't want to see me now."

Nash shook his head. "I don't believe that for a second."

Tracy looked over at Kevin, disbelief in her eyes. "I broke his heart, Nash! How do you look at the one person -"

"Darlin', you don't stop lovin' just 'cause a pretty thing like yourself tells you too." Nash smiled, walking over to the couch. "And that boy there, he's as crazy as they come. My guess is that he's gone, lookin' for another way to get you to understand."

"I have to agree there." Jay said, Matt nodding along with him.

Tracy sighed, putting her head in her hands. "I don't know what to do though. My past... him... he's a part of the past. I left all that behind. The WWE, the people there, the Diva Search. Everything. I left it behind, and I want it to stay there."

Roxxi smiled. "The past never does that though, Tracy. It always comes back, whether you want it to or not. You just need to face it and know that you'll come out stronger."

"And I know just where you should start." Matt pulled out his cell phone.

Immediately, Tracy got off the couch and away from the device. "There's no way that I... No, I'm not starting with him, Matt."

He shook his head, smiling. "No, not him. But you owe somebody else an explanation."

_**You and I were living like a love song  
Now I know you're the only one that I want  
I want you back, I want you**_

-

She was changed out of her wrestling gear and into a pair of jeans with a tear in the knee with a red camouflage print wife beater. She had the bangles on, as she toyed with them nervously. Two cell phones sat on the table, ignored for the time being as she paced in front of them.

"_I can't... I put them in the past. They've probably forgotten who I am by now." She argued, staring into Matt's brown eyes._

"_Let's test that theory with you." He smirked, walking up to her. "Have you forgotten who I am."_

"_No." She said plainly._

"_Have you forgotten about Shawn or Hunter?"_

"_Of course not."_

"_And what about Mercury?"_

"_I barely knew him." She responded, smirking with her arms crossed._

"_But you still remember who he is?"_

"_...Yes." She sighed._

"_So if you remember us, what makes you think we'd forget you?"_

_She was lost for words, her mouth opening and closing soundlessly. Roxxi laughed, getting up off the floor. "C'mon, it's one phone call. You can do it. I mean, you can do an amazing diving hurricanrana, and we never thought you'd have it in you."_

"_But that's different!"_

_Nash put a hand on her shoulder. "Listen, Darlin'. It's not any of our places to tell you what to do. Just do what feels right to you."_

_He signalled for the rest of them to clear out of the room. Matt lingered behind a moment, not saying anything as he put his cell phone beside hers. _

"_In case you need the number." He muttered lowly, keeping his head down as he left the room, closing the door softly behind him._

"What do I do?!" she cried out, dropping to the couch.

As if a sign, Matt's phone rang, causing her to sigh. It stopped after the fourth ring, but was followed by a voice.

"_Matt, hey. If you're there, you're ignoring me. Not that I blame you; I kinda left you out to dry, haven't I? But I swear I wasn't thinking. I just wanted away from there. Need to clear my mind. Anyway, I'm headed back home, I guess you'll let me have it when you get back. I deserve it. I'm like the worst little brother in history, in existence, in forever! Sorry, I'm rambling. I'll let you go now. Bye._"

She chuckled at hearing Jeff ramble on, realizing that if she didn't act now, she'd lose her chance. With a deep breath, she walked over to the cell phones; using Matt's to find the number and using hers to make the call.

One ring...

Two...

Thr-

"_Hello?_"

Tracy froze once she heard the voice.

"_Hello? Is anybody there?_"

_**Now I'm here to say I'm sorry  
And ask for a second chance  
(All I want to do is make it up to you)  
Cause when it all comes down to the end  
I could sure use a friend  
Now I'm here to say I'm sorry  
And ask for a second chance  
(All I want to do is make it up to you)  
Cause when it all comes down to the end  
You were the best I ever had**_

She took a deep breath. "Hey... Melina? It's Tracy..."

-

Matt was waiting with Jay down the hall from the dressing room when she finally found them nearly an hour later. They both looked at her and smiled.

"How'd it go?" Matt asked, taking back his phone.

She was beaming, a bounce back in her step. "Amazing. I thought that they'd be mad that I left without a word, no explanation, but they were so happy I called. Oh, Melina shrieked into the phone when I told her who it was. I think I made Ashley cry though... Mickie too. Damn, I never thought I'd miss them once I talked to them."

"Well, you can always ask for some time off, take a trip up to RAW to see the girls." Jay suggested with a shrug. "It might do you a bit of good."

Tracy nodded, still smiling. "Thought of that. I'm away for two weeks. Called and it was approved."

"That's great!" Jay smiled, hugging her.

She smiled, hugging him back before pulling away and looking at Matt. "Yep. But first... Matt, I'm coming home with you."

-

Jeff somehow managed to make it home in one piece, early the next morning. With a groan, he walked into the large house, dragging himself to the living room and collapsing on the couch. He tiredly pulled his soaked shirt off, throwing it to the ground. His jeans quickly followed, leaving him in his boxers. All he wanted was sleep, to lose himself in dreams that had a different ending to the previous day's events.

It was several hours later when frantic pounding echoed throughout the house, waking him in the middle of a pleasant dream. He laid there, hoping that if he didn't answer the door, whoever it was would take the hint and go away. Instead, the pounding grew constant, until it was just a steady rhythm on the door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." He groaned as he got up, grabbing his still damp pants. "Hold on a minute."

The knocking stopped as he walked the hallway, pulling the door open to reveal a soaked Tracy, her curls sticking to her cheeks, neck and shoulders. He stood there, stunned.

"But... what? What are you doing here?" He asked, letting her into the house.

She laughed and shrugged. "I don't know. I felt... I owe you this."

"I don't get you." He said, closing the door. "You basically tell me you never want to see me again, and then you show up a few hours later, soaking wet."

"Call me crazy."

Jeff shook his head, looking at her again. "First off, we need to get you into drier clothes before you get sick."

"You too. And you really need a shirt." She joked with a smirk.

"Touché." He laughed, leading her down the hall and up the stairs. "Now, you aren't my size, but I should have a shirt or something..."

She smiled, staying quiet as she followed behind. He walked into his room, and she followed hesitantly. Standing in the doorway, she watched as he searched his closet, eventually pulling out an oversized beer shirt and a pair of track pants.

"The pants might be a bit big, and I'm not sure if they have drawstrings or not." He handed them over to her, as well as the shirt. "The bathrooms right down the hall, last door on your right. The dryer is downstairs; it's in the room next to the kitchen. Just throw them in, and I'll start it once I add my stuff."

"Thanks." She murmured, smiling as she turned and left.

Jeff sighed, closing the door before removing his jeans. '_Great. She's here like five minutes, and I'm already babbling like an idiot. Damn it..._'

He found a new pair of jeans and t-shirt, pulling them on quickly and opening the door, only to find Tracy in front of his door, his track pants in hand.

"They're too big, and there aren't any drawstrings." She said, blushing slightly. The shirt was half the length of her thighs. "Do you... have anything else?"

"No. Sorry. I can look for a longer shirt, or –"

She shook her head, biting her lip as she handed him his pants. "I don't want to be a pain."

Quickly, she turned, clutching her wet clothes to her as she went down the stairs, finding the laundry room door open as soon as she made it to the main floor. She never heard the footsteps behind her as she entered the room, throwing her things into the dryer. It wasn't until she turned around that she gasped, Jeff right there.

"Jesus, you scared me." She laughed, her hand against her chest. "I never heard you."

He smiled, never breaking eye contact as he threw his clothes into the dryer, arm brushing lightly against her leg. Moving over to the doorway, she watched as Jeff started the machine, before turning back to her.

"You want something to drink? Coffee, tea, hot chocolate... beer?"

"Hot chocolate sounds good."

A few minutes later, they sat in the living room, both holding a large mug of hot chocolate. Jeff sat on the floor, Tracy taking up the entire couch. A throw blanket covered her legs, an effort of Jeff's behalf to warm her up.

"You never did tell me why you came all the way up here." He stated distantly, playing with a cinnamon stick.

"I don't know why I did, actually." She sighed, letting her head fall back. "I just felt like I needed to. You came to see me, and I just... sent you away, more or less. So, I came to see you."

Jeff smiled. "Well, you definitely make it hard from me to forget you when you do shit like this."

"I guess I do." Tracy laughed, taking a drink of the hot beverage. Bringing it back down, she turned her head to look at the back of Jeff's head. "But maybe, just maybe... I've decided that it's time to face my past."

"Oh?"

Tracy smiled a bit. "When I left the WWE that night... I left behind a few friends, memories, and I swore to myself that I wouldn't look back. I never wanted to look back, to face my biggest mistake. But then, when I saw you before the show, I panicked."

"So, the stage hand...?" Jeff turned half around to look at Tracy.

"I was with them until I saw you." She looked at him guiltily, putting empty mug on the floor. "Seeing you, standing there... I always thought you hated me. For the past two years, anyway. And I was scared that we'd start fighting again."

He nodded, raising a hand to place it lightly against her cheek. "I never hated you. Even when we were fighting, I still couldn't find it in me to hate you, even just a little bit."

"And you had me so worked up that I acted before I had a chance to cool down. Going to Vince, getting released from my contract, packing and leaving without a good-bye to anybody... I was on the plane, an hour and a half into the flight when I finally realized the full extent of my actions."

"You could have come back." Jeff whispered, getting to his knees. "Made a plea, gotten anybody to defend what you did..."

Tracy shook her head. "I couldn't. I wouldn't let myself go back. Can you honestly tell me that you would go running back to a person who hurt you?"

"Not right away, no."

"Besides... I was in love with you. Running back to you after you hurt me... I'm not that type of woman."

Jeff nodded, before something in his mind clicked. "Wait... you were in love with me? You loved me and left without telling me?"

She blushed, nodding, averting her eyes. "I wanted to... eventually. When the time was right; when I was ready to commi-"

Tracy was cut off as Jeff kissed her passionately, hands placed on either side of her neck. Caught off guard by the suddenness of it, she relaxed into the kiss, pressing back. Her arms snaked around his neck, pulling him closer.

Finally, the kiss broke, noses just barely touching. "Where'd that come from?" she asked, trying to hide her smile.

"From two years, one month and eighteen days of unexpressed, repressed and shared loved." He replied, a playful smile crossing his lips. "I kept count."

She laughed, kissing him quickly. "That's a long time... Maybe we should give it a bit longer."

"Hell no." He stated firmly, looking right into her eyes. "I just need to know one thing: do you still love me?"

"Never stopped." She smiled, eyes twinkling.

"Good." He pulled her to the ground, falling onto his back. "Because I'm not losing you again."

-

Tracy laid beside Jeff on the floor, curled up against his side and using his collarbone as a pillow. His arm was wrapped around her protectively, his fingers trailing up and down her bare side. The throw blanket was loosely draped over them, the clothes thrown in a pile off to the side. Both were smiling as they caught each other's eyes.

"That was long overdue." Jeff joked, kissing the top of Tracy's head.

"Just a bit." She replied, propping herself up on her elbow, catching his lips in a quick, gentle kiss.

"Are you here just for the day, or...?"

"I'm going back in two weeks, and I want to go to RAW to see Melina, Mickie and Ashley." She replied, her fingers tracing the design shaved into his facial hair. "When do you go back on the road?"

"Three days."

"Oh." She said, laying back down on him.

Jeff smiled, shaking his head. "You're coming with me though. And that is not a request."

Tracy laughed, putting her hand on his chest. "New record. A few hours into the relationship, and you're demanding me to do stuff."

"You know you love me though."

"I must be crazy, but yes. I love you."

"I love you too, Tracy. I'll always love you."

_**I can't believe that I threw away all our dreams  
I can't believe now that you're gone how much you mean to me  
I feel so bad, I feel so bad  
You were the best I ever had  
I can't believe that I threw away all our dreams  
I can't believe now that you're gone how much you mean to me  
I feel so bad, I feel so bad  
You were,**_  
_**You were the best I ever had**_


End file.
